Daylight Savings Time
by Scarlet Hour
Summary: Hinata-chan, the government is stealing one hundred and twenty hours a year from our dates together! NaruHina


Daylight Savings Time

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"What's the point of daylight savings time, anyway?" Naruto grumbled, looking at his watch that he was supposed to set forward, but not touching it. "I heard that loads of countries don't even do it at all! It's just another way for the government to bother us and waste calendar space!"

"Naruto-kun, we're farther north than a lot of countries," Hinata explained patiently, stirring her noodles gently as she watched him in amusement. "The earth's summer and winter tilts affects us more. It was implemented so that we can enjoy the hours of sunlight for longer in the summer—"

"But it's not fa-ir!" Naruto whined. "I told Kakashi-sensei I would meet him for training at one o'clock so that you and me could spend the morning together! And now this stupid daylight savings has just chopped an hour off our date!" He folded his arms moodily. "And I told you to call me Naruto!"he added.

"Well, isn't it better than showing up an hour late to your training?" Hinata asked, heart fluttering as he said that, but unable to keep from laughing a little at the childish pout on Naruto's face. "If I hadn't told you, then you would have arrived at two instead of at one!"

"So what? On a_ good_ day Kakashi-sensei shows up an hour late, if not more! And I'd rather be with you anyway. I wish you hadn't told me."

"Well, why don't we just try to enjoy our time now?" Hinata smiled, hoping that Naruto would cheer up. "Feeling sad isn't going to make our time together any longer."

But another thought had occurred to Naruto, who suddenly sat up straighter on his counter stool. "Wait a minute!" he cried, looking around at her. "It's not just today! If we move an hour forward, then it's like _all_ our dates in the future are an hour shorter! The whole axis of the earth has moved!"

"Not…really," said Hinata. "It's not like we're setting the hours back everyday—"

"—and then we'll never get that time back!" Naruto cried, not hearing what she said. "Hinata-chan, this is terrible!"

"Yeah, but in fall, we turn the clocks back and gain an hour," Hinata patiently explained. "So it more or less evens out."

But Naruto shook his head vigorously. "Standard time is only from November to March but daylight savings time lasts all the other eight months! So that means that we're losing…" his eyebrows furrowed as he tried to do the math in his head quickly.

"One hundred…one hundred and twenty hours a year!" he finally exclaimed, his bright blue eyes widening in earnest and dismay. "Hinata-chan, the government is stealing one hundred and twenty hours a year from our dates together!"

"Okay, okay," she conceded defeat since he was determined to be upset about it. "Then how about I make up to you for four months straight the time that we're missing?"

"How are you going to make it up to me?" Naruto asked moodily, playing with his chopsticks and drooping his head onto one hand.

Taking a little breath and a deep dive into her small pool of spontaneity, Hinata leaned over the Ichiraku Ramen bar and kissed Naruto. Not on the mouth; she was still too shy to do that, but just on the corner by his lips, sweetly. She drew back quickly, blushing, and focused on her bowl of noodles.

"Does that make it up for today?" she asked softly.

Naruto stared with wide eyes, slowly lifting his hand to the spot that she had kissed in wonder. "Just…for today…" he said. He cleared his throat and a devilish grin started to make its way onto his face. "Did I say one hundred and twenty hours? Because I wasn't counting the months that have thirty one days. So it's actually more than that—"

"You—no!" she hit him playfully on the arm, laughing as he leaned forward, trying to get another kiss. "You got your share for today! The rest comes over the four months!"

"Oh, fine," Naruto contented himself with taking her hand and briefly touching his mouth to her fingers. "One question, though. If I changed my watch right now—go straight from ten to eleven—where does that extra hour go?"

"It doesn't go anywhere, Naruto," Hinata sighed. "Time is just man's invention anyway. It's not real."

"Not like this, anyway," Naruto winked, though he didn't point at anything in particular. Hinata felt her face heat up as she realized what he meant.

"Come on, Hinata-chan," Naruto stood up suddenly and linked his arm with Hinata's, pulling her to her feet and half leading, half dragging her towards the exit. "Everyone's changing their clocks at ten o'clock today; that means there's a secret hour somewhere in this day and we're going to find it—"

"I—Naruto, wait!" Hinata exclaimed, laughing, as he pulled her across the restaurant, overwhelmed as usual by his sense of carpe diem. "We haven't even paid—"

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Fin

I really don't like daylight savings time and while I was brooding on it, this idea just came to me. Hope you liked it! :D


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